Spotify’s stock price has been on a promising upswing, with analysts setting ambitious targets as shares edge near $400. The last time SPOT approached this mark was in early 2021, fueled by high-profile content deals, but concerns over profitability and market pressures pulled it down to the $70s in 2022. Under CEO Daniel Ek’s direction, Spotify shifted focus to profitability, cutting unnecessary expenditures. Analysts are optimistic, with targets ranging up to $490 from firms like Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank, driven by projected subscriber growth, podcasting, and ad revenue.
Comments
Mark Zuckerberg Dethroned: Three 22-Year-Old Mercor Founders Become Youngest Self-Made Billionaires
Mercor’s 22-year-old founders have become the world’s youngest self-made billionaires after a $350 million funding round valued the AI recruitment startup at $10 billion, surpassing Mark Zuckerberg’s record. Mercor, a fast-rising recruitment startup powering AI model training for Silicon Valley’s biggest labs, has created the world’s youngest self-made billionaires. Three 22-year-old cofounders, including two Americans of Indian origin, have dethroned Mark Zuckerberg as the world’s youngest sel
O A
Soho House Acquired for £2 Billion as Ashton Kutcher Joins Board
Private members' club chain Soho House has been snapped up for $2.7bn (£2bn) by a consortium involving Hollywood actor turned investor Ashton Kutcher. The group opened its first club in London in 1995, and now has 46 Soho Houses in Europe, North America and Asia, as well a string of other up-market hospitality businesses. It is widely regarded as being a popular haunt of A-list celebrities, and one of its London venues was reportedly where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had their first date.
O A
Antonelli suffers car crash ahead of first pre-season test
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was involved in a car cash close to his home in San Marino ahead of this weekend’s Formula 1 pre-season test in Bahrain. The 19-year-old was however unharmed in the incident which happened over the weekend and will be able to take part in the first test at the Bahrain International Circuit. Mercedes in a statement said: “We can confirm that Kimi was involved in a traffic accident on Saturday night close to his home in San Marino. “The police attended the scene,
O A
Ukraine Shifts From Drone Buyer to Drone Exporter
Ukraine is preparing to open 10 weapons export centers across Europe and begin production of Ukrainian‑designed drones in Germany, marking a shift from wartime arms recipient to emerging arms exporter. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told students at the Kyiv Aviation Institute that the export hubs—planned for 2026 across the Baltic and Northern European states—will sell systems built with Ukrainian technology, with German production to start in mid‑February and lines already running in the UK. A
B P
New Science Books Argue That Art, the Internet, and Weight‑Loss Drugs Are Quietly Rewiring Our Lives
February’s batch of popular science books leans into big‑picture questions about the universe, the climate and our own bodies, framed as winter‑reading picks in New Scientist’s roundup of the month’s best new titles. Space scientist Maggie Aderin’s memoir “Starchild” anchors the list, weaving her work on satellites and the moon together with the story of raising a daughter and finding wonder in the night sky. Set against January’s offerings, where Daisy Fancourt’s “Art Cure” argued that concert
B P
Venezuela’s Maduro Faces U.S. Narco‑Terrorism Case in New York
Venezuela’s ousted president Nicolás Maduro is in U.S. federal custody in New York, where he and his wife, Cilia Flores, face a superseding indictment in the Southern District of New York on narco‑terrorism, cocaine‑importation conspiracy, weapons and related charges. Prosecutors allege that for years Maduro and senior Venezuelan officials worked with Colombian guerrilla groups and traffickers to move large quantities of cocaine from Venezuela toward the United States, using state resources and
B P